Thursday, June 12, 2014

Among the Missing; Morag Joss

It seems like I’ve been reading many
less than happy novels lately and, Among the Missing, is a book that falls into
that same class.The story takes place
in the Highlands of Scotland and focuses on three unrelated individuals whose
lives collide after a bridge collapse in the area.The incident is caught on film with cars
plunging into the waters below.Some
people are dead, some missing, and one of the cars in particular is key to the
story.

There is Anna who married her husband Colin
after meeting him in the internet. When Anna finds out she is pregnant, Colin
wants nothing to do with fatherhood. He tells her to get an abortion or he will
leave her. She is heartbroken, but can’t imagine ending her pregnancy either.

Ron has spent some time in prison after
being charged with causing an incident which killed several people. His family
wants nothing to do with him. Newly released from prison, his sister gives him some
money so that he can purchase a car. He works day jobs and has a habit of
picking up hitchhikers, longing for human connection.

Silva is an illegal immigrant woman who has
had a tough life. She lives by the river in an abandoned trailer. She works and
earns a meager wage in a clerical job while her husband, Stefan stays at home with their very
young daughter.

Without saying too much more about the
story, I’ll just say it’s very well written and I liked the way it came together. The characters are desperate
people, each seeking peace and salvation. They are characters I came to care about. The audio
book is somber in tone, which was appropriate for a story like this. The use of multiple narrators: Robin Sachs, Kate Readingand Cassandra Campbell worked extremely well.Again, not a happy story, but one I was happy
that I read.

Thanks for taking the time to visit and double thanks for any comments. If you ask a question in your comments, I will try to reply to it here, or by email if your settings allow me to do so. Thank again for visiting.